Feeding Problem Grey Banded Kings
Here is a list of tried and true feeding techniques for difficult feeders:
1. Make sure the prey item is of an appropriate size.
For very young animals, make sure the first couple of meals are very small. Day old pinks will work best. Remember, you're just trying to get the digestive system started - no need to put it into overload on the first try. Also, you want to avoid "spooking" the snake with a prey item that is too large. Although many snakes will take frozen/thawed pinkies right out the egg, a live pinky for the first meal or two is generally a better way to go to ensure that feeding starts properly.
If there is no interest in an unscented, appropriately sized pinky,
2. Try feeding a scented live pinky.
Dipping a pinky in chicken broth can often entice a stubborn feeder to eat.
If this basic technique is unsuccessful, move on to the next step.
Acquire an anole, fence lizard, or house gecko for use as a scenting host.
There are a couple of methods which can be used for scenting.
You can simply rub the lizard all over the pinky to transfer scent.
You can freeze the lizard in a small cup of water which will create a scenting slurry for longtime use. Use a small condiment cup with a lid. Put in enough water to submerged the pre-killed lizard and freeze it. When you are ready to scent simply rub the pinky on the ice. The heat from the pinky's body will be enough to melt enough of the surface to allow for scent transfer.
3. Try feeding a "brained" pinky.
This is not for the squeamish, but is often very effective. Take a pre-killed pinky and with a razor blade make an incision from the back of the skull towards the front. Gently squeeze the head until some of the brain matter is forced out of the incision. Offer the pinky to your snake. There is something about the smell of brain tissue that will illicit a feeding response from many otherwise stubborn snakes.
If none of the above techniques have been successful, it's time to get a little more aggressive.
Although it is preferred to get a baby snake started on pinkies, if you get to a situation where time is passing without a meal, you need to think about just getting some calories into the snake before the onset of liver damage.
4. Offer lizard parts.
From the anole, fence lizard, or house gecko that you previously acquired, break off an appropriately size piece of the tail and offer it to the snake. Make sure you get some of the meat at the base of the tail if possible.
If the snake will not take it willing after being left overnight, you may have to consider force-feeding the tail just to get some calories in the snake. This is stressful and should only be used as a last resort to keep the snake alive. Simply open the snake's mouth (a small probe works well) and gently work the tail into the throat. In many cases, once you've got it in, the snake will take over and swallow on his own.
5. Misc tips.
Here are a few miscellaneous tips for problem feeders.
Place the snake and the prey item into a small container where they cannot avoid each other and leave them overnight. Note: This should only be done with pinkies. If you are leaving a larger rodent with your snake overnight, it should be pre-killed.
Withhold water for two days and then offer a "wet" pinky. They will sometimes fall for this and accept the food.
This next one sounds very strange, but trust me it works.
Pack up your non-feeder in a deli and take it for a drive.
This is an old Expo trick for non-feeders. John Schmitt of Suncoast Herpetological has been doing this for several years and it never fails.
John produces a pretty large number of Greybands every year and it's not unusual to have a few non-feeders in the group. When he packs up his animals to go to the breeders expo in August, he always packs a separate bin with the non-feeders. They are taken to the show (not for selling, mind you) but simply for the trip. When john returns home after the Expo, generally more then half will readily accept unscented pinks.
It must have something to do with being jostled around while in transit, being in a deli cup for a few days, limited water, or all of the above, But whatever the reason, it works.
I hope that this will be helpful, if anyone has anything to add, by all means please do.
